Location, location, location. It’s so critical to find the right space for your event – one that communicates the brand, has just enough space, is in the right neighborhood, accessible to public transportation, can accommodate crazy wifi requirements and has enough infrastructure to make it interesting.
“ London is over six hundred square miles — 100 times larger than San Francisco, and 100 square miles larger than NYC — but finding unique, non-traditional event spaces is akin to making a Buckingham Palace guard crack a smile: very, very tricky. ”
The good and the bad news: there are tons of London venues. And there are tons of ways to locate them.
Here’s what works for us when time and resources are limited (which, for the record, they always are):
1. Start with your brand. Concentrate on the geo region that best mirrors that brand. For example, if your event is showcasing new tech, you’re likely looking in Shoreditch, but have you considered Hoxton, Hackney Wick, Battersea and King’s Cross?
2. Lean on your network for recommendations. Or lean on Trademark. Trademark’s extensive network includes film location scouts, photogs and videographers, makers and performers – they’re our eyes and ears on the ground. Plus, we’ve worked in every major metro area, and we know a LOT of places
3. Do your homework. Google Maps and London Tech Maps are your best friends. Pin your local office (or competitors) and look within a 5 mile radius. Chances are, your target audience is close by.
4. Be aspirational. You’re looking for the personality you want to project.
5. Follow the snooty coffee. Wherever there is a high concentration of pour-overs, there is generally a recent gentrification, complete with some warehouse makeovers.
6. Walk the streets. Find out where people are going to hang out after work. Doing that led us to the Queen of Hoxton bar with a rooftop deck, complete with a tribute to Dr. Strange.
Happy hunting, and if you’re going, ask us how we can help!
